Western Michigan Men’s Soccer Adds JUCO National Player of the Year Timmer, Former Spartan Conerty

KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Western Michigan head coach Chad
Wiseman has announced the addition of Greg Timmer
and Sean Conerty to the Bronco men’s soccer team.
Timmer was the NSCAA Junior College Division I National Player of the
Year this past fall and led Iowa Western Community College a national
championship title. Conerty played the last two seasons at Michigan
State, where he appeared in 41 games. Both Timmer and Conerty are
currently enrolled at Western Michigan for the Spring semester.

“The
fact that we have both players joining us for the spring term is
absolutely fantastic and will allow us to grow together as a team,”
Wiseman said. “We return 20 players that played in two Mid-American
Conference Championship games last fall, and with the addition of these
two fine players, the future looks bright.

“Greg was the best
player on the best team this past fall at the junior college level.
Having the National Player of the Year join our program is absolutely
massive, and he is someone that could play for any University across the
nation. We could not be happier he chose to continue his career at
WMU.”

Timmer joins Western Michigan with two years of eligibility
after playing his first two seasons at Iowa Western Community College.
As a sophomore this past fall, Timmer led Iowa Western to an undefeated
24-0-1 record, and the school’s first ever national championship. He
started all 20 games in the midfield and had one goal and eight assists.

A Grand Rapids, Mich., native, Timmer graduated high school
from Hudsonville Unity Christian where he won a Division II State
Championship as a sophomore in 2009. As a junior, he was a second team
all-state selection and he collected first team all-state accolades as a
senior. In club play, he won a USL Super 20’s National Championship
with Bloomfield Force FC in 2013 and a US Youth National Championship in
2011 with the Grand Rapids Crew Juniors. He played in two regional
championships with the Crew and in four MSYSA State Cups.

“Greg
knows what it takes to win, he has won national championships at every
level he has competed,” Wiseman said. “He will have an immediate impact
on our program as a central player. He is very skilled and composed and
his ability to read the game and dictate play is second to none.”

Conerty
will also have two years of eligibility at Western Michigan after
suiting up with the Spartans the last two seasons. Conerty started 25 of
41 games in Michigan State’s midfield, where he registered five career
goals and six assists for 16 points. As a freshman in 2012, he scored
the game-winning overtime goal against Michigan to clinch Michigan
State’s third Big Ten Tournament Championship in school history.

This
past season, Conerty was a part of a Spartan squad which posted a
14-6-3 overall record and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA
Tournament. Conerty played in all 23 games, totaling three goals and
three assists. One of those goals came against the Broncos on Sept. 1 in
East Lansing.

“Sean was a pleasant surprise to our staff,
deciding to leave MSU after two fantastic years in a Spartan uniform,”
Wiseman said. “We expect and know Sean will come in right away and have a
major impact on our program. He is an attacking player that strikes an
amazing ball and has a sense of confidence about him that rubs off on
all his teammates. He scored some monster goals throughout his college
career and will definitely be counted on to put the ball in the back of
the net.”

Conerty is a native of Ada, Mich., and played his prep
career at Forest Hills Central High School, where he was an NSCAA
All-American and runner-up for the Michigan Mr. Soccer award as a
senior. He also earned first team all-state honors and was placed on the
MHSAA Dream Team as a senior and was a second team all-state selection
as a junior. A four-year letterwinner, he amassed 100 career goals and
64 assists. Conerty played club for the Grand Rapids Crew Juniors,
leading the Crew to three US Soccer Region II Championships as well as
four consecutive USYSA National Championship Tournaments from 2008-2011.
The Crew won the USYSA National Title in 2011 and was Conerty was
crowned as the Golden Boot Award winner as the tournament’s MVP.

Western
Michigan had one of the program’s most successful seasons this past
fall in 2013, its first season with Wiseman at the helm. The Broncos
concluded the year with a 9-9-1, 4-1-1 Mid-American Conference record
and finished as conference regular season and MAC Tournament runners-up
behind nationally ranked Akron. Five Broncos were recognized for their
individual play, three earning Second Team All-MAC status from the
conference and two others being named Second Team All-MAC by College
Sports Madness. Additionally, three Broncos were named to the MAC
All-Tournament team and three were named Academic All-MAC. Wiseman’s
nine victories set a new program record for wins by a men’s soccer coach
in their first season at WMU.